Page 3 of A Baby Scandal in Italy

‘Gemma said you had told her that you owned a successful business in Italy called Vieri Azioni. That’s how I knew where to find you.’ Ivy sat the baby upright and rubbed his back until he gave a little burp. ‘His proper name is Roberto,’ she explained when she noticed that Rafa was staring at the child. ‘Gemma gave him an Italian name, because he is half-Italian, but somehow Bertie stuck.’

‘He did not inherit his Italian heritage from me. Roberto, Bertie, or whatever you choose to call him, is not my child,’ Rafa said savagely. When he had sex, he was obsessively careful to use protection so there was no risk of an unplanned pregnancy.

Ivy’s jaw was set in a stubborn line. ‘Pass me my phone and I’ll show you a picture of Gemma that might jog your memory.’

Dio!He’d wasted enough time on Ivy Bennett. Rafa was ninety-nine percent sure he had not slept with her sister, but it would do no harm to look at the photo, he conceded. There was a tiny chance that he’d met Gemma, although not in the Caribbean.

Thirteen months ago he had moved into a penthouse apartment close to the iconic Colosseum. He’d worked long hours at Vieri Azioni to prove to his father his commitment to the company and win the approval of the board, some of whom had believed that the vice-chairman would be a better chairman and CEO. But Rafa acknowledged that his life had not been all work and no play. He’d met women in bars and clubs and had occasionally spent the night with them. The nearby port town of Civitavecchia was where the cruise ships docked, and it was a short train ride for passengers and crew members into the city. Could Ivy’s sister’s ship have been in Italy shortly before or after it had sailed to the Caribbean? If so, it was just possible that he’d met Gemma in a bar in Rome.

Rafa looked away from the baby who was lying, milk-drunk and contented, in Ivy’s arms. Undeniably, Bertie was a beautiful child, but not his child. Rejection burned inside him. Never again would he be fooled into believing he was a father. The bottom had dropped out of his world when he’d discovered that the daughter he had adored was not his. In the unlikely event that he recognised Ivy’s sister as someone he’d slept with, he would demand proof that Bertie was his son.

He picked up Ivy’s phone from where she’d left it on his desk and strode across the room to hand it to her. Seconds later, he studied the picture of an attractive redhead she showed him on the screen.

‘I have never seen this woman before.’ Rafa’s relief quickly turned to anger. Something was going on here and he was in no mood for games. ‘I don’t know what you are playing at, Miss Bennett. If the baby belongs to your sister, why didyoubring him to Italy?’

‘Gemma’s dead.’ Ivy’s brown eyes were luminous with tears. ‘She died when Bertie was five weeks old. My last words to her were a promise that I would find her baby’s father.’

‘Why?’ Rafa ignored a flicker of remorse when Ivy blinked at his abrupt tone. Everything she had told him so far sounded improbable.

‘I thought you should know that you have a son.’ She hesitated, ‘And I hoped you would offer to support Bertie...financially.’

‘You want money?’ It was what Rafa had expected, and he could not understand why he felt a fleeting disappointment that the English rose with her understated sensuality was so predictable. ‘Finally, we are getting to the truth,’ he said cynically.

‘I don’t want money for me.’ Twin spots of colour flared on Ivy’s cheeks. She had perfected her air of guilelessness, Rafa thought cynically.

‘Bringing up a baby is expensive,’ she said. ‘I told you I had a job as a dancer on a cruise ship, but I haven’t been able to work since my sister died and I became responsible for Bertie. When he is a bit older, I hope to open my own dance school, but I’ve been living off my savings and the money has nearly run out.’

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and the action drew Rafa’s gaze to her lush mouth. A deliberate ploy? he wondered.

‘If you don’t want to be involved with your son, I will take him back to England and be the best mother I can to him as I promised my sister. But I did some research about you, and I know you are wealthy. You have a responsibility to provide for Bertie and you can afford to set up a trust fund for him.’

‘As his legal guardian, you would no doubt have control of the money in the trust fund!’ Rafa laughed. ‘You must think I am an idiot, Miss Bennett. What I am curious to know is, did you sister falsely tell you that I had fathered her baby? Or was it your idea to accuse me of being the child’s father in a bid to get money from me?’

He ignored Ivy’s gasp. ‘You admitted that you had looked up information about me. Perhaps you do not know who fathered your sister’s baby and you thought you could somehow fool me into believing I had slept with Gemma. You are not the first woman to try to pin a paternity claim on a wealthy man.’

When Tiffany had told him she was pregnant, he’d had no reason to doubt that the baby was his, Rafa brooded. She’d later admitted that, after having been rejected by her child’s biological father, she’d allowed Rafa to think that Lola was his daughter because he could provide the affluent lifestyle she craved.

‘It wasn’t like that at all.’ Ivy stood up. The baby was dozing and she carefully placed him on the sofa and wedged cushions around him to prevent him from rolling over. ‘Everything I have told you is the truth.’

She tilted her head and glared at Rafa. He noticed that her brown eyes were flecked with amber. ‘My sister told me that you are Bertie’s father and I believe her. It’s more likely that you were lying when you denied receiving Gemma’s letter.’

‘There was no letter.’ Rafa growled, exasperated by her stubbornness. ‘Admit defeat, Miss Bennett. The child is not mine and if you ever repeat the allegation you will face serious legal consequences.’

His gaze swivelled towards the door when it opened and his PA appeared. ‘What now, Giulia?’

‘Landini and his team are about to leave.’

Rafa swore. ‘Try and stall them for a couple more minutes. I’m almost done here.’ He sent Ivy a simmering glance. ‘I will talk to Carlo and explain that there was a misunderstanding.’

The PA nodded. ‘I had hoped that Sandro Florenzi might help to smooth things over while you were busy, but he left the boardroom immediately after you, saying he had a migraine.’

Rafa frowned. He knew the deputy CEO occasionally suffered from migraines, but the timing was inconvenient to say the least. Giulia left the room and he looked at Ivy, infuriated by the heat that flared inside him.

Dio, how could he be attracted to a pink-haired pixie who had come to him with a frankly unbelievable story? It would have been laughable if he hadn’t been uncomfortably aware of his arousal pressing against his trouser zip. Because of his height, he preferred women who were taller than average. If he kissed Ivy, he would probably crick his neck unless he picked her up and plastered her body against his.

What the hell was the matter with him?He swung away from her to avoid the temptation of her lush mouth that right now was set in a sulky pout. Once he’d secured the deal with Carlo Landini, he would take some time off, Rafa decided. He’d been working flat out since his father had died and he needed a break. He would spend a few days at his castle in the mountains. It was the place he retreated to when he needed some head space and wanted to be alone.

And, when he returned to Rome, he’d start dating again. He always made it clear to women that he could offer expensive dinners and nights of pleasure in his bed, but definitely not commitment.

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